


Lockdown Hardship

by NCSP



Category: Avengers (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Family, I really ahd to write something about Loki and Tony being locked in the Tower with their kids, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Parent Loki (Marvel), Parent Tony Stark, Parenting During The Lockdown, lockdown - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 08:02:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26349793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NCSP/pseuds/NCSP
Summary: Just like other families, Tony and Loki are at home handling their children, online classes, and work.Drinking scotch in the morning doesn't sound such a bad idea
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 20
Kudos: 125





	Lockdown Hardship

Tony really wanted a drink.

He craved a drink.

He needed a drink.

Little did it matter that it was 10 a.m.

He was exhausted.

Mentally and physically drained.

He surely loved his kids, no one could have ever doubted that, but he couldn’t do it anymore.

Those months spent inside the Tower had made him question what the fuck he and Loki had been thinking about when they had decided to have children. They were fun to play with, fun to watch, and adorable when they wanted cuddles as long as it wasn’t in the middle of the night, but that.

_That_.

That was too much. For any human being.

Or god.

And fuck, where was Loki?

“One moment. Just one moment,” he put his finger up, trying to silence the people who were speaking in the chat room; he appreciated the dedication of the Chinese consultants, but their attitude may have been frustrating when someone had clearly more pressing matters that didn’t concern work to tend to, “I’ve said one moment! Loki!” he yelled, but since he didn’t receive any response the only thing he could do was to run in the direction of Helge and take the spoon out of his mouth.

“No, love, you know you are not supposed to grab these.”

What was the point of baby-proofing drawers when his children could simply magic stuff out of them?

“Aren’t you supposed to be following the online kindergarten class with your brother?” he asked, already knowing that what he was saying was complete bullshit.

Who in their right state of mind could even presume that a three-year-old would have followed an online class when Tony himself had problems following online meetings?

“Oscar ran away,” Helge pouted, dropping the spoon on Tony’s foot.

“Ran away?”

The child nodded.

“Where?”

“Dunno,” he shrugged.

“Okay,” Tony sighed, lifting the boy up, “Your Moði? Where is he?”

Oscar clang to Loki in a way that hadn’t it been so cute could have been described as problematic, so Tony was sure he would have found the other twin had he only been able to find Loki.

“Calling Asgad.”

“Asgard, Helge. Asga _r_ d. You know that Moði doesn’t like it when you mispronounce it.”

“I’m not Sigrid.”

“I know that you’re not your sister, but this has nothing to do with you pronouncing that word right.”

When, in God’s name, had he thought that having three kids would have been a good idea?

Yeah, they had decided for two and the twins had been a huge surprise, but still.

“I want to play.”

“You have school now.”

“But I want play with you,” Helge’s lip started wobbling, and Tony knew he had lost that battle. That boy had Loki’s eyes, how was he supposed to resist?

“I know, baby, I know, but I have to work now,” he tried.

“Dad,” he sobbed, his small face hiding in Tony’s shoulder, and his body clinging to Tony as if he never wanted to let him go, “Play.”

“I’m busy…”

“Want to go out. Please.”

“I know love, I know,” Tony kissed his brown curls.

“Out.”

“We can’t go out, you know it.”

“Aunt Tasha. I want Aunt Tasha.”

“We can call her later.”

“I want her here,” Helge started crying, “Dad, please.”

Tony sighed, “I know, baby, but we can’t. You know it. Moði and I explained it to you and your siblings. We can’t go out and we can only be on our own for a while. You have us here.”

“But I want Aunt Tasha…”

“I know, but we can’t see her yet.”

“When?”

“I don’t know.”

Tony hated those three words.

He had been forced to repeat them times and again in those past weeks, and he hated it.

Their children looked at him and Loki for guidance, to know when that isolation would have been over and when they would have been able to see once again their grandparents, their aunts and their uncles, but they had no answers to give them.

They had no idea when the lockdown would have been over, and they had decided not to lie to the kids.

And what added to Tony’s frustration was that he knew that he was one of the lucky ones.

He was one of the privileged ones.

He wasn’t afraid to lose his job, to not be able to put food on the table.

He wasn’t afraid that had he fallen sick there wouldn’t have been a bed available in the hospital for him.

He wasn’t afraid of the possibility of having a debt he would have never been able to pay back had he required intensive care.

He had a job that he could control, where no one would have been able to fire him only because he had to take some time off to take care of his children.

All of that, and yet he didn’t manage to sleep at night.

At night, curled up with Loki in their bed, they both stayed awake and didn’t know what to do. What to say to their children.

And also on that front Tony knew he had been lucky.

He had Loki.

Loki lived with him, in the Tower, and he could see him every day.

One night when he had been the only one awake – Loki finally asleep in his arms – he had considered how unbearable it would have been for him to be parted from Loki. To not know when he would have seen him again. To not be able to touch him every day. To know that had something happened to either of them they would have been alone, with no possibility to reach each other. That maybe they would have never seen each other again.

That time panic had almost closed his throat and he had woken Loki up, and they had made love until Tony had managed to calm down and realise that none of that had happened to them.

“But I want Aunt Tasha.”

“I know, baby, but not now.”

“Is she angry with me?”

“No, love, no,” Tony hurried to say, his hearth clenching, “That’s absolutely not like that. She loves you, never doubt that.”

“Why she not here?”

Tony would have corrected that slip another time. Both Helge and Oscar had regressed a bit on the language front during those weeks, but he didn’t have the heart to point that out in that moment.

“Gege, we told you. It’s not personal. Everyone on Midgard is locked in their houses at this moment. No one can go out. I know you don’t like it, and trust me when I tell you that nobody does, but that’s what we must do. That’s our duty,” and idea started forming in his brain, “And we, well, you know it, we must set the example for other people.”

“Why?”

“You ask me why? Helge, you’re a Crown Prince to the Throne of Asgard, people will follow what you tell them to do and will copy what you do. Moði and I explained why we can’t go out, that we may get sick or may make other people sick, so what do you think? Isn’t it better to set the example and let people see that even princes stay home when doctors tell them it’s better to do so for their safety?”

Helge pondered his father words for a few moments.

Tony knew that hitting the child in his pride of prince was the right move.

After all that was Loki’s son, and Tony had years of experience in knowing which buttons to push to make even the most stubborn Asgardian listen to reason.

“Doctors like Uncle Bruce?”

“Yes, like Uncle Bruce,” it wasn’t the time to confuse the child with the technicalities.

Helge remained silent for another couple of seconds.

“So it’s as for the bad cough drops?”

Tony had to make an effort to put the pieces together, “Yes, love. Maybe you don’t like them, but a doctor told you that it was the best way to make you feel better. You took the drops even though you didn’t like them and then you felt better and managed to play again with your siblings. This situation is the same.”

“But last time I got a lollypop for listening,” Helge pouted.

Tony burst out laughing.

“You’ll have your lollypop,” he shifted the child on his hip and headed for the kitchen, retrieving the candy his son wanted before trying to reach again his meeting.

He sat back on his armchair and settled Helge in his lap, waving at Friday to move the holographic keyboard away so that the child wouldn’t have managed to make any sort of damage.

“I’m sorry for the interruption, now I’m back,” he started saying, but he instantly regretted his words the moment he was stared down by the members of his consulting team, “What?”

“Mr. Starks, there’s a child,” the manager of the group said.

“I’m aware. He’s my son. And he’s sitting in my lap.”

“But this is a business meeting.”

“So?”

“It’s not professional, Mr. Stark.”

“How does my son’s presence hinder my attention?”

“It’s just a matter of being professional Mr. Stark, involving kids that may disturb-“

“Right now the only disturb in this meeting is your questioning about my son’s presence. May we move on and get things done and get back to our families?”

He saw a couple of nods and some relieved sighs coming from the European team.

“We were only wondering-“

“It may have escaped your notice,” Tony leaned forward for how much Helge allowed him to, “But this isn’t exactly a nice time for children.”

“Call his mother?” the man asked with a pretentious tone.

“His ‘mother’ is working as well and I’ve no intention of disturbing him since this is my child as well. And if my son is crying in a corner because he can’t see his aunt you can be sure that my priority isn’t this meeting.”

The chief consultant looked enraged now, “I’ve never witnessed to such a blatant show of disrespect in a business meeting. Mr. Stark. You’re the owner of your company and you should at least show-“

Tony didn’t let him finish, “You’re right. This is my own damn company so I’ll do what I want. And you’re fired,” he added before cutting off the connection with the group of consultants.

He took a deep breath.

Maybe Pepper would have chastised him for losing such a good consulting agency, but he didn’t care.

He was tired and wanted a drink.

He just had to deal with the European team first.

“Okay, I know I wasn’t truly professional now but I think we all agree that we’re living in a situation that requires to allow us all some slack. From now on then if you think that your kids require your company and we have a meeting please, don’t have any qualms to bring them to the meetings as well. I don’t think they’ll break any confidentiality agreement.”

They all laughed together briefly.

“Really,” he added, his voice warmer, “I have three kids at home who are driving me crazy, and I know that I’m in a very privileged position. So don’t think for even one second that your performance would be evaluated poorly if you have a toddler messing with your hair while you expose your ideas. I know how clingy they are, and can even ask my husband to tell you how to untie the worst knots those little monsters manage to create.”

There was another laugh that eased the tension that had gathered while Tony and the consultant had faced each other.

“Let’s call it a day for now. We’ll schedule another meeting and find a better consulting agency,” Tony said, and disconnected from the meeting, but not before seeing some grateful looks in his direction.

“Okay, Gege, it’s time to find your Moði,” he cradled the child in his arms and settled for finally finding Loki.

If he knew his mage well he was currently in the library, handling Asgardian questions from remote.

Likely with Oscar perched on his shoulder, if the child had escaped from his classes as well.

The few steps that were required him to get to Loki made him renew his desire to get a drink. Helge went on pestering him with questions and requests of things to do all together, and while Tony really appreciated the possibility of spending time with his family, it had been seven weeks since they had been all locked together in the Tower.

He had already played all the games that had come up to his or Loki’s mind and also the ones the kids had invented, and for how smart their children were the eldest one was five, and even her imagination had limits.

“Of course, baby. Let’s just hear what Moði has to say,” he said, in the hope to put a stop to the flow of words leaving the toddler’s mouth.

He really needed Loki’s help.

He was the one who was good with the children.

Maybe it was because he had more experience, because he had a different connection with them that Tony would have never been able to understand, Tony had no idea. The point was that Loki always seemed to know what the children wanted and needed, and Tony needed his expertise to avoid day drinking.

At least for that day.

He shifted Helge on his hip and opened the door of the library with a question already on his lips, but he silenced it immediately when he saw how Loki was faring.

The mage was sitting on the floor, back against his favourite armchair, with Oscar in his lap and Sigrid braiding his hair with hands still dirty of paint, something that had made some of his black locks turn orange.

“Moði!” Helge yelled, and Tony could see the conflict on Loki’s face.

On the one hand Loki was happy to see his son, on the other he was so terribly _tired_.

“My precious boy,” he said in the end, opening his arms and welcoming Helge along with his twin.

“Hey,” Tony rested a hand on Loki’s shoulder, and the god raised his green eyes on him.

“Hey.”

Tony would have liked to start a conversation, but the twins started pulling at Loki’s hair enraging Sigrid who saw her braiding work destructed. In that moment the three children started screaming and Loki’s attention had to focus on sedating that fight.

“I wanted to ask you if you had any idea of what game the kids may play now while they avoid kindergarten, but I feel like I have to change my question.”

“The answer is: yes, a glass of scotch. Neat.”

Tony chuckled and left a kiss on Loki’s forehead before heading to the bar to comply.

They both deserved a glass of scotch, little did it matter that it wasn’t even 11 a.m.


End file.
